The Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA) has officially welcomed ten early-career journalists from Ghana to the fourth edition of the Next Generation Investigative Journalism (NGIJ) Fellowship. The three-month training and mentorship programme started with an opening ceremony at MFWA’s head office in Accra on September 18, 2024.
During the event, the fellows were introduced to the management and staff of the MFWA. The fellows were also given a starter pack of learning materials they would need throughout the period of the fellowship.
In his welcome address, Mr. Sulemana Braimah, Executive Director of the MFWA, emphasized the NGIJ Fellowship’s goal of empowering young journalists with professional skills to enable them to make significant impacts in their careers. Since its inception in 2021, the fellowship has trained journalists from across West Africa, many of whom have become influential in their fields. Mr. Braimah encouraged the fellows to draw inspiration from the successes of previous participants.
Rosemond Ebi Adwo-Aryeetey, Senior Manager of MFWA’s Media and Good Governance (MGG) programme, provided an overview of the Fellowship. She noted that this year’s edition, while continuing to build investigative journalism skills, is strategically focused on election-related reporting to prepare fellows for coverage of Ghana’s upcoming general elections in December 2024.
Adizatu Moro Maiga, Senior Programmes Officer of the MGG, explained that the focus on election reporting aligns with NGIJ’s tradition of addressing timely, pressing issues. Past editions have centered on investigative journalism, Illicit Financial Flows, and climate change.
The 2024 Next Generation Investigative Journalism Fellowship admitted 10 budding journalists from Ghana namely Nakiba Moomin, Erich Odonkor, Esther Gyamaah Yeboah, Bernice Amanatey Korlekie, and Isaac Donkor. The remaining are Elizabeth Abena Egyin, Osman Abubakari-Sadiq, Vemmie Kamal, and Mensah Maxwell.
Since the NGIJ Fellowship’s launch, it has trained journalists from Liberia, Sierra Leone, and Ghana. The programme’s first edition was funded by DW Akademie, while subsequent editions received support from the US Embassy, the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, and OXFAM.
During the three-month period, fellows will be trained by Fact Check Ghana and The Fourth Estate, two MFWA journalism accountability projects. They will acquire skills in investigative journalism, fact-checking, conflict-sensitive reporting, and source cultivation among others. Additionally, the fellows will learn to leverage Ghana’s Right to Information (RTI) law, explore campaign funding mechanisms, and practice modern safety techniques for investigative journalists.
As part of their training, fellows will also undertake field visits and receive funding to develop and investigate compelling story ideas.
About NGIJ
The Next Generation Investigative Journalism (NGIJ) programme is a training and mentorship programme that was innovated by the MFWA to empower young journalists with investigative journalism skills. The objective is to build a pool of next generation investigative journalists who will contribute to improving lives and promoting good governance through excellent journalism.
NGIJ builds the capacity of early-career journalists in the West Africa region to be able to conduct critical, high-quality, fact-based and in-depth reporting.
Every year, Fellows are recruited through a competitive process of selection including aptitude tests and interviews. The selected journalists are then put through months-long comprehensive training, and a mentorship programme with Fact-Check Ghana and The Fourth Estate, both being MFWA’s public interest and accountability journalism projects.
Three previous editions of the fellowship have equipped some forty (40) journalists across West Africa with modern investigative journalism skills, with some Fellows going to be impactful and productive journalists in their countries.